For those who know climbing history, the thought of a trad route reaching the sport’s most difficult grade is not just audacious — it’s downright terrifying.
When climbing at the very edge of physical ability, most climbers opt for boulders or sport climbing, where you can throw yourself at a particularly difficult move over and over, secure in the knowledge of crash pads below, or bolts drilled directly into the rock.
Not so with trad climbing. That requires you to place your own gear, like cams or nuts, into crevices as you ascend. The physical effort of placing gear — not to mention the higher chance for failure when falling — is what makes trad climbing more dangerous than other disciplines.
So it’s a big deal that 22-year-old phenom Connor Herson just claimed an ascent of what would be the hardest traditional rock climb in the world. In February, Herson claimed the first ascent of Drifter’s Escape, a route up one of Squamish, British Columbia’s most famous walls. He actually finished the route on July 14, 2025, but waited until just recently to make an official announcement.
With a proposed grade of 5.15a, or 9a+, Drifter’s Escape could represent a new benchmark for elite-level trad climbing. Even now, he’s one of only a handful of climbers to successfully climb the route.
The son of Yosemite Valley climber Jim Herson, Connor Herson has already proven himself a prodigy, sending El Capitan’s most famous route, The Nose, at just 15 years old.
Who Is Connor Herson?
The son of Yosemite Valley climber Jim Herson, Connor has already proven himself a prodigy, sending El Capitan’s most famous route, The Nose, at just 15 years old.
However, it’s not the first time that Herson has claimed a high grade on a trad climb, however. He did the same thing back in 2022, though other climbers later downgraded the route.
How did he pull off the feat? Well, we have some answers straight from the man himself. And if that’s not enough for you, Black Diamond is releasing a series of videos this month dedicated to Connor’s newfound status in the trad climbing vanguard. The first one debuts Tuesday, March 10, but you can see the trailer below.
Q&A With Connor Herson
GearJunkie: After two summers working on it, can you share your feelings about what this route means to you?
Connor Herson: When I think back to my time on Drifter’s, what stands out most is the time spent up there with friends (as cliché as it sounds). I remember the little moments the most: goofing around on the ledge at the start of the pitch, trading small bits of beta, and even the rest days with the Squamish community. Drifter‘s is emblematic to me of the summers spent in Squamish, and it almost feels like a full chapter of my life!
GJ: What was your favorite moment or memory from your time projecting this route?
CH: It’s so hard to pick a single moment, but one day that stands out was my birthday this past year. I’d mostly been climbing on the pitch with Ethan Salvo, but Ethan was working that day, so I was up there with Connor Runge. For the first time, I got into the top crux, and I had an incredibly good attempt — I fell on practically the last move of the pitch!
Connor was incredibly supportive, and I remember laughing in delight after falling just because that attempt had gone so well. It turned out Ethan had been watching through binoculars from work, and he gave me a call almost immediately after I got down.
As we rappelled to the ground that afternoon, it began to pour rain, and it was a bit of an exciting (and soaking) run back to the car. That evening, Jane Jackson (another of our friends) baked me a birthday cake, and we had a group celebration. All in all, it was a very memorable day (even apart from the climbing!).
What initially attracted you to this route?
As soon as I saw the line, I couldn’t look at the Chief and not see it. I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I rappelled in to look at it up close, and after that first day on it, I knew that it was a special pitch. It’s a rare thing to find a line so perfect — a pitch with not only the highest-quality climbing, aesthetics, and location, but one whose natural difficulty is perfectly matched to my level, neither too easy nor too hard.
Was there a point when you realized this might be the toughest trad route you’ve climbed? When was that point?
I think I knew within my first few sessions that it would be more difficult than any other trad route I’d climbed, but that wasn’t something that was on my mind while I was trying it. In a way, Drifter‘s was just like any other project I’ve had, and the process of trying it was remarkably similar.
You’ve previously said that trad climbing has the most potential for progression of all the climbing disciplines. Can you elaborate on that? Why do you think that is?
I think that once the current generation of incredibly strong boulderers and sport climbers turns to trad climbing, they’ll be able to take it to another level. It’s always so humbling to go bouldering with top-level boulderers, or sport climbing with top-level sport climbers, and I can only imagine what they’ll be able to do over gear.
After this send, are you still fully committed to expanding what’s possible with trad climbing? If so, what does that look like for you?
Currently, I’m really excited to push my limits and follow my motivation, regardless of what discipline of climbing that ends up being. In the coming years, that could mean trying to expand what’s possible with trad climbing, but we’ll see what happens with my motivation for particular objectives!
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